Doctor At Center Of 'Right To Die' Movement Has Died In Morris County

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — Dr. Joseph Fennelly, a physician and ethicist from Morris County who rose to prominence in the "right to die" movement after his involvement in the landmark Quinlan case, has died. He was 93.

Fennelly, who was born in Astoria and raised in Long Branch, is survived by his wife of 65 years, Lucille; his children Deborah, Glenn, Bryan and Jeffrey; four grandchildren and three siblings, along with many nieces and nephews, according to his obituary.

Fennelly, a retired internist from Madison, worked in private practice and at Morristown Memorial Hospital until his retirement in 2019 at the age of 89. He was best known for his role in the seminal Quinlan case, which marked the beginning of the "right to die" debate.

The case concerned Karen Ann Quinlan, a 21-year-old resident of Morris County who fell into a coma in 1975. When her condition was determined to be irreversible, doctors refused her parents' request to take her off of her respirator due to ethical and legal concerns, turning her story into a famous precedent.

In 1976, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of her parents, creating a legal right to decline extraordinary medical care that was later adopted in other states and inspired legislation in Congress and other states.

This decision paved the way for future legal rights to be established nationwide.

Fennelly was medical counsel and advisor in the landmark Karen Ann Quinlan Case, after which he established the first ethics committee both at Morristown Medical Center and at the NJ Medical Society.

Due to his experience caring for Quinlan, Fennelly became interested in bioethics, the study of moral, social, and legal concerns related to medical treatment.

Drs. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross and Edmund Pelligrino, professors of medicine and medical ethics and the director of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University, were frequent collaborators with Fennelly as they gave lectures on end-of-life issues at numerous colleges and universities.

According to his obituary, Fennelly was also a significant member of the New Jersey Legislature's Commission on Legal and Ethical Problems in the Delivery of Healthcare, which was instrumental in establishing the state's laws on advanced directives and brain death.

In 2015, Fennelly was honored with lifetime achievement awards from both the Medical Society of New Jersey and Morristown Medical Center.

Fennelly and his wife, registered nurse Lucille A. Paccioretti, were also devoted lifelong patrons of the Metropolitan Opera and Philharmonic Symphony in New York City.

According to the obituary, the couple frequently attended two performances on Saturdays, going to their final one together on March 14, 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of most live events.

Visitation for the physician will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 19, at Burroughs, Kohr and Dangler Funeral Home in Madison. According to the funeral home, a funeral Mass will be held the following day at St. Vincent Martyr Church in the borough at 10 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family asked that contributions be made to the Palliative and Hospice Unit at Morristown Medical Center, the Metropolitan Opera, The New York Philharmonic, the Academy of Vocal Arts of Bucks City and Philadelphia and the Cheshire Home of Florham Park.